Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36280832›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2022

Implementing a general practitioner-to-general physician eConsult service (eConsultant) in Australia.

Jennifer Job, Caroline Nicholson, Zoe Calleja, Claire Jackson, Maria Donald

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jennifer JobUQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia. j.job@uq.edu.au.
Caroline NicholsonUQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia.
Zoe CallejaUQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia.
Claire JacksonUQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia.
Maria DonaldUQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn response to lengthy wait times for specialist outpatient appointments, electronic consultation (eConsult) services have developed globally, providing asynchronous, secure and timely communication between general practitioner (GP) and specialist. This study aims to track adoption of a Queensland eConsultant service in two Australian Primary Health Networks (Western Queensland and Brisbane South) to understand key barriers and enablers to adoption and inform modification of the implementation strategy. 

methodsOur theory-informed mixed-methods evaluation assessed implementation between July 2020 and March 2022. Adoption and implementation activities were prospectively recorded in bespoke tracking spreadsheets with implementation activities coded against the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) strategies. Semi-structured interviews with GPs and stakeholders informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) were conducted to understand determinants of implementation. 

resultsOf the 40 practices invited to take part in the eConsultant service, 20 (50%) enrolled. Of the 97 GPs who consented, 38 sent at least one Request for Advice (RFA) to the eConsultant with a total of 112 RFA sent. Implementation was predominantly guided by eight strategies. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 GPs and 4 stakeholders (12 from rural/remote regions, 11 females and two sole practitioners). Interviewees felt the eConsultant service supported outpatient appointment avoidance and provided efficient, timely access to specialist support for GPs and their patients. Barriers identified to using eConsultant related to digital infrastructure, competing priorities, and keeping the service 'front of mind'. Key enablers identified were the relative advantage of eConsultant over other options, patient benefits and COVD-19 facilitating the use of digital technology.

conclusionsThis evaluation highlighted service enablers as well as user priorities for broader implementation. A focus on a well-integrated digital system and availability of a variety of eConsultant specialties are seen as key strategies to embedding the eConsultant option in GP advice processes in Australia.

Indexed as

General PractitionersReferral and ConsultationAppointments and SchedulesAustraliaFemaleHumansSpecializationTelemedicineeConsultElectronic consultation: general practiceGeneral physicianImplementation

Identifiers

PMID36280832
PMCPMC9589630

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.